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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 13:25:34 GMT -6
[183]
At least the floor wasn't too rough, and he could put a hand against the wall for support. It felt like a natural tunnel, or at least not one carved by tools, it could have been the result of a giant burrowing beast, he knew tunnel worms could get big, but he didn't know how big. It seemed like everyone who had experience with the mines had stories of someone they knew having a massive tunnel worm popping through a wall and almost eating them.
It would be quite bad if a monster sized tunnel worm showed up, he'd depleted most of his magic on the water monster, and was too injured to do much physically. Ice, while protective of him, wouldn't be able to do much against a creature of that size. Not that tunnel worms were generally aggressive, Nerius had encountered a mid sized one in the past, and it had mostly just wanted to be left alone to eat.
(Nerius: 3/20) (Ice: Lv 55, 278/280 | Lyl 55, 278/280)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 13:39:03 GMT -6
[184]
Though he supposed the danger of a tunnel sized one was that it might eat you without even realizing it while burrowing through the earth. They weren't terribly bright creatures, as expected with a worm, really, but not terribly aggressive. Running into an adult drake would be much worse, or even a hen for that matter.
Nerius was aware his thoughts were getting rather rambling, a result of the bloodloss no doubt. Thinking up all manor of nasty creatures that could show up probably wasn't the most helpful thing, but considering his recent encounter with the water monster, it wasn't really surprising that's where his brain went.
Ice at least didn't have this distraction, and had started leading ahead a little. There was only one way to go in the tunnel, but she was scouting ahead to look for any obstacles or danger. Or at least, that was the sense he got.
(Nerius: 4/20) (Ice: Lv 55, 279/280 | Lyl 55, 279/280)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 13:48:11 GMT -6
[185]
And intentional or not, Ice would be the first one to spot a potential hazard, which was probably for the best given his current condition. All this walking, or limping really, wasn't doing his leg any favors. Looking down to check, Nerius could see a lovely little trail of blood dripped along where he'd walked. Great. That very well could attract something that would rather eat him than a gemstone.
As concerning as that was, he was finally in for a little good news. Ice chirped, and scurried ahead a little; Nerius wasn't in any condition to hurry, but as he got closer to the gem dragon, he could see another tunnel branching off. It was much narrower than the tunnel he was currently in, and as he got close enough to actually inspect the opening, he realized it was an artificially carved shaft. Barring any past tunnel collapses, that was sure to reach the surface!
(Nerius: 5/20) (Ice: Lv 56, 280/285 | Lyl 56, 280/285)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 16:51:36 GMT -6
That tunnel looks worthwhile!
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 17:11:54 GMT -6
[186]
Thinking of anything that could go wrong was becoming a theme, but in truth he was hopeful that this tunnel would lead back out to the surface. The artificial tunnel was rougher than the natural one had been, Nerius discovered as he headed up the new tunnel. It was still better than climbing, it just meant he had to watch his step more.
Ice wasn't having any issues, not that he was paying too close attention to the gem dragon. At least, until she came up to him holding a gem in her beak. Nerius paused to accept the stone, a pretty, deep blue gem that he was too tired to focus on identifying properly. Into the bag it went, and by the time he'd finished putting it away, Ice had scampered on ahead again. She was doing most the navigating at this point, and Nerius was just glad she liked him enough to not run off.
(Nerius: 6/20) (Ice: Lv 56, 281/285 | Lyl 56, 281/285)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 17:22:54 GMT -6
[187]
The walk continued in a blur, Nerius wasn't sure how far or long he'd gone before Ice returned with another gem. He didn't think she was specifically looking for them, Nerius really just wanted to get out of the mines at this point, but if they went by some gems, he wasn't going to pass them up. Uuuuh, opal? Was that what that was? The stone shimmered in multiple colors, and that was the first thing he could think of.
This time, Ice paused to nuzzle his arm, making a concerned little chirr, before going back on ahead. There really wasn't anything he could do to comfort the gem dragon though. Probably because he actually was in a bad state, but that didn't really occur to him. He could still walk, it was fine. It also didn't occur to him that most people would have passed out from bloodloss by this point.
(Nerius: 7/20) (Ice: Lv 56, 282/285 | Lyl 56, 282/285)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 17:41:45 GMT -6
[188]
Not that ending up passed out in a tunnel wasn't a risk for Nerius either, he still had his limit, and had been slowly, but steadily leaking more blood. With all the climbing and walking, it was never still enough for the blood to clot properly. The bandages helped, and probably were the only reason he hadn't passed out already, but they were totally soaked through with blood, and couldn't stop everything.
Ice hadn't returned with any more gems, but the next thing Nerius noticed was there was a slight breeze. Nothing dramatic, but there was airflow, which meant they were probably getting close to something. Sure enough, it wasn't too long before Ice chirped, spotting something up ahead. Nerius couldn't see what it was from his position, shining his flashlight in the direction only revealed more dark tunnels. It wasn't like there was any other direction to, so he limped toward the gem dragon.
(Nerius: 8/20) (Ice: Lv 56, 283/285 | Lyl 56, 283/285)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 17:48:10 GMT -6
[189]
Ice continued walking for several more yards, before pausing for an unknown reason. It just looked like more dark tunnels, Nerius couldn't see anything unusual. At least, not until he got close. As he approached the gem dragon, he realized the tunnel he was in opened into a much larger, and obviously tool made, mineshaft. Shining his flashlight down the larger shaft, he could see multiple smaller tunnels branching off, this must have been a main shaft!
And that meant a way out. Nerius wasn't sure which direction was the exit, but he could still feel a faint breeze from one direction, and the airflow was probably coming from outside. It was a guess, but these large main tunnels weren't usually too long, so if he had to he could just turn around. He really did hope the direction he'd chosen was correct though, with his leg extra walking was something he'd rather avoid.
(Nerius: 9/20) (Ice: Lv 56, 284/285 | Lyl 56, 284/285)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 18:07:59 GMT -6
[190]
At least the main shaft was smoother than the branch had been, and a little easier for him to walk down. Ice was following him now, now that there were multiple directions to go, instead of taking the lead.
This must have been a major area at one point, given the size, but there was no illumination, and Nerius couldn't hear anyone working down any of the many branching shafts. He knew the mines had been terribly unstable in the past, perhaps that was why it was abandoned?
He didn't see any clues to the shaft's lack of activity, but as he continued down the main shaft, Nerius could see faint light. An exit! That had to be an exit, right? He didn't exactly hurry, but did walk with more purpose, and as he got closer, could see that it was indeed a way out! It had been a worthwhile trip, but he was relieved it was over.
[IC trip exit and day change]
(Nerius: 10/20) (Ice: Lv 57, 285/290 | Lyl 57, 285/290)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 18:43:06 GMT -6
[191]
It had been a couple of weeks since his last trip down spelunking in the mines, longer than Nerius would have preferred, honestly, but he'd needed to wait for his leg to heal properly. Salves had helped, but the slow process had driven to researching healing spells during his forced rest time. Light, unfortunately, had the most potential, but fire and water had their options too. He'd rather avoid any major injuries, but given how many of his adventures went, it was a valid precaution.
He had Ice along as usual, and he could feel the gem dragon's excitement as the entrance to the mines came into view. She hadn't enjoyed the lack of digging opportunities either, though for a different reason than Nerius. He was in it mostly for the magical crystals. The occasional creature, and the worth of the gems was a nice bonus, but certainly not the main attraction.
(Nerius: 11/20) (Ice: Lv 57, 286/290 | Lyl 57, 286/290)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 18:53:39 GMT -6
[192]
Sure a black sarane would be nice, but really, crystals. They were, as always, his goal today, and though he'd been looking for tainted before, he was also hoping for wind. He had an... agreement lined up, and as much as he wanted a shadow node, given his current crystal count, it would (in theory) be much faster to find what he needed for wind. Less crystals, and more common ones at that. He'd take any magical crystal of course, even if trading hadn't been an option.
But he wasn't going to find any crystals out in the open, and there were many, many passageways to choose from. All of the tunnels close to the surface would be plundered already, but a natural cavern might require less delving to find untouched areas. They weren't close enough yet for Ice to have scurried ahead and picked a tunnel, instead she was still waiting by Nerius.
(Nerius: 12/20) (Ice: Lv 57, 287/290 | Lyl 57, 287/290)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 19:02:57 GMT -6
[193]
There were plenty of openings right off the path, but those would have had a lot of traffic, so Nerius continued along. There were some very remote looking openings up the cliffs, but he'd rather avoid having to attempt any rock climbing, so he passed those by. But after a bit further along, he spotted an area that looked promising. It was a tall, thin crack in the cliffside, at ground level but half hidden behind overgrown plants, and unlikely to have had too much traffic.
Nerius headed to the entrance, having to push past some brush to get there, and inspected the crack. It wouldn't be fitting a wiurn, but it was plenty large enough for a person, and continued deeper than the flashlight could see. "What do you think Ice, is this a good spot?" The mining familiar of course didn't understand his words, but she was sniffing around with interest, and seemed to like the spot.
(Nerius: 13/20) (Ice: Lv 57, 288/290 | Lyl 57, 288/290)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 19:23:44 GMT -6
[194]
He didn't expect the gem dragon to actually find anything this close to the exit, but he took it as a good sign, and started down the natural tunnel. At first he'd thought it might have been something like a ravine, but it wasn't as tall as he was expecting. It was about nine feet tall, still plenty of room for a person and gem dragon to walk though though without hitting their heads.
The floor of the tunnel was a little uneven, but at least there weren't any stalagmites to trip over, or gravel to slip on. The walk went rather uneventfully, though it soon got very dark, it was a narrow opening, and the tunnel wound around a bit, and the light from the entrance didn't travel far. That didn't slow Ice down any, she was scampering around, sniffing at the floor and walls, occasionally pausing to scratch at a spot.
(Nerius: 14/20) (Ice: Lv 57, 289/290 | Lyl 57, 289/290)
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Post by Nerius on Aug 7, 2021 19:31:02 GMT -6
[195]
Nothing caught the gem dragon's attention for too long, and so they continued down the narrow tunnel, until eventually it opened up into a small cavern. It wasn't a dead end, Nerius could see the tunnel continue on the other side, but it was worth stopping to check over for gems. Or at least, Ice thought so, she'd split off from Nerius and was following the trail of something along the floor, headed to one of the walls.
Nerius didn't see any obvious gems, but he did see a lot of loose stones, though it wasn't immediately obvious whether they were from a collapse of some kind, or the result of the digging of a mines creature. The rest of the cavern looked stable, so if something had collapsed, it hadn't been recently. Nerius flickered the flashlight along the walls, but he suspected that if either of them were going to find something, it was going to be Ice.
(Nerius: 15/20) (Ice: Lv 58, 290/295 | Lyl 58, 290/295)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 19:41:58 GMT -6
That ore has a luscious hue!
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